Parents’ Lived Experiences of Virtual Education Consequences in First-Grade Elementary Students in COVID-19 Era: A Qualitative Study

Background: Virtual education has become essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, covering all subjects and educational levels. It is still widely used in cases where face-to-face education is not possible. This study aimed to investigate the parents’ lived experiences of virtual educations’ consequences on first-grade elementary students.Methods: This study is based on a qualitative approach and a descriptive phenomenology method to examine the lived experiences of parents during the 2021-2022 academic year. The lived experiences of 14 parents of first-grade students in Urmia City, Iran, have been investigated using one focus group interview and 15 individual semi-structured interviews. The selection of the participants was made using purposeful sampling methods of intensity cases and snowball. The research data's reliability was assessed according to Lincoln and Guba's criteria, with review methods conducted by 10 participating individuals and four non-participating experts. The data analysis was done based on Colaizzi’s strategy.Results: Upon conducting the data analysis, 56 codes with two main concepts concerning the consequences of virtual education and seven main themes were found. The educational concepts were included (Teacher: 9 codes, classroom: 13 codes, educational evaluation: 5 codes, and supplementary activities: 6 codes), and contextual concepts included (Individual: 9 codes, Family: 9 codes, and Social: 5 codes).Conclusion: Considering the implications of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the emerging challenges that educational institutions are confronting. This emphasizes the critical need for well-designed programs that address the resultant consequences and challenges effectively.